


run away (we run run run now)

by Anonymous



Category: ENHYPEN (Band), I-LAND (Korea TV)
Genre: I shall tag everyone later, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Underage Drinking, idk what to tag, it was heeseung's idea, they run away and travel around korea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29272884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Heeseung's tired and wants a change. Jay agrees. Sunghoon was forced to join them - whatever they're doing. The others? They're just along for the ride.
Relationships: Choi Seunghyuk | Seon/K (I-LAND), Kim Sunoo & Nishimura Riki | Ni-ki & Yang Jungwon, Lee Heeseung & Park Sunghoon & Park Jongseong | Jay & Shim Jaeyoon | Jake, Park Jongseong | Jay & Shim Jaeyoon | Jake
Comments: 6
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha started this on a whim

Lee Heeseung was your average 18 year old guy: He had a driver’s license, he went to school, had a job, and was tired, as a high school senior would be. Heeseung was bored, to put it lightly. He was doing fine in school, was waiting for his acceptance letter, and was doing well at work. He wanted, no needed, a change. And that’s where Jay came in. Park Jongseong, or Jay (he only called himself Jongseong during introductions, you’d find all your pens missing if you kept calling him Jongseong), was the bad to Heeseung’s bad, the chaotic to Heeseung’s chaotic - a hot-tempered high school junior from America and also Heeseung’s best friend. The two were perfect for each other - Heeseung came up with all the bad plans and Jay carried them out. The two were at it again, hanging out at Wendy’s (because McDonalds was for losers), discussing what to do over some burgers and fries, when Heeseung had the craziest, most brilliant idea he ever had in his 18 years of life.

“Why don’t we run away?”

“Excuse me?” Jay stared at him, shocked. “Did I just hear that correctly?”

“Let’s run away.” Heeseung casually dipped a fry in ketchup and ate it before continuing. “We’ve always wanted to travel around Korea, right? Why not do it?”

“You literally just turned 18,” Jay sighed. “Besides, why now while were still in school? Why not wait until we at least graduate?” 

“Because I’m bored, Jay,” Heeseung groaned. “I need a change.” Jay just stared at his friend silently. To any outsider, Heeseung was probably acting like a brat, but Jay was not any outsider. He had been by Heeseung’s side for the past 3 years, ever since he had been sent to Korea at 14. He had seen his friend’s highs and lows. Heeseung was a person who couldn’t remain still for a long time, both literally and metaphorically.

“Well, it’s not like it’s a bad idea,” Jay admitted, faceing his friend, “but where would we get the money? Would our parents even allow us?”

“My mom can’t wait to get me out of the house,” Heeseung laughed. Jay frowned. That didn’t sound like the normal happy Heeseung laugh, but he didn’t dwell on it. Heeseung was already making preparations in his head, Jay could see it. “Dad’s been out of the picture for years.”

“Oh...sorry.” That was new. Jay had known this guy for 3 whole years but had only now learned this fact. Heeseung truly was a complicated person, but Jay wouldn’t have it any other way. Heeseung was his best friend.

“It’s fine, I’m over it.” Heeseung waved his hand dismissively. “What about you?”

“I haven’t seen my parents in years.” Jay shrugged, taking a bite from his burger. “I don’t think they’d care if I go on some cross country road trip with some random person they don’t know.”

“Who do you stay with than?” Heeseung was confused. He had been to Jay’s house before, but had always assumed his parents were out working. Had they not come to Korea with him? Heeseung shook those thoughts away. He only just told Jay about his dad. Why wouldn’t the younger have his own secrets? The two had bonded because of their secrets. They never pried, and only comforted each other, never digging deeper or asking why. They understood each other.

“My grandmother.” Jay loved her. Even back in the USA, he had always liked her a bit more than his parents. She was kind, open, and understanding. She mad him feel  _ wanted,  _ like he actually  _ mattered _ and - woah, this was getting a bit too deep. Jay shook his head, sending those memories back into the depths of his brain.

“Oh…” Heeseung’s face shifted into something kinder, more understanding. Heeseung was still older, and he had a kind heart, even if he never really acted like it. “I’m sorry. We don’t have to do it. It was just a crazy idea.”

“It’s fine. She’ll be fine with it. She’s been saying she wants me to live life to the fullest anyways,” Jay sighed fondly. “But are we okay with this?”

“What do you mean?” Heeseung tilted his head.

“If we go on this trip…,” Jat started before pausing. How should he word this…. “If we go on this trip, we’re basically gonna be skipping school for who knows how long. I’m a junior and you’re a senior. We’d be essentially ruining our futures, or just slowing them down. Do you want that?”

“Would we even have a future like how we are now?” Heeseung pondered. “We’re both unmotivated high school students living in Seoul.”

“Fine, I’ll come,” Jay sighs. “But money? Accommodations? Where are we gonna go?”

“I’ve been saving up for a while now. I’m not too sure, actually. But I just wanna escape from here for a little while…” Heeseung looked up wistfully, and Jay understood.

“We can do it. But when? Is there anyone else we should bring along?”

“Let’s do it during the weekend. Hmm, I don’t think there’s anyone in particular I wanna bring along…” Heeseung paused to think. It was usually just him and Jay. There wasn’t really anyone else in his life. “Yeah, I don’t tink there’s anyone else.”

“So, Saturday?” Jay finished his burger.

“Saturday.” Heeseung nodded, before grabbing their tray and dumping all their trash in the garbage. “Let’s meet at the park.”

“Alright.” Jay stood up, waving at Heeseung, before walking home. Was Heeseung crazy? Was Jay crazy? He had just agreed to Heeseung’s crazy, impulsive idea of running away. And while he knew his grandma would be agree, probably even support his choice to go with Heeseung and lend them money, he still couldn’t help the feeling. He was possibly throwing away his whole future to go on a crazy road trip across Korea. But even with all the uncertainty and craziness of Heeseung’s plan, Jay was  _ excited _ . He had always wanted to see Korea, and now, here was the chance. And besides, it’s not like he was doing well in school anyways. He would miss his grandma though. He hoped his parents at least took care of her.

Heeseung walked out of the Wendy’s, mind moving at superhuman speeds. He and Jay had just decided to make probably the most important decisions of their lives. His mom would be fine with him leaving the house. He’d probably be even to take his car. He had been saving up for a while but he didn’t know why. Well now he had a reason at least. Heeseung was anxious - he and Jay had just decided to run away, to go on an entire  _ road trip _ across Korea. But he was excited. FInally. A change. He fished his phone out of his pocket and called his manager, telling him his idea. His manager sighed, but laughed. Heeseung grinned, already planning out what to get and what to pack. They’d need phone chargers for sure, but also food, water, and a deck of cards. You can never go wrong playing Speed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me starting this when I have like 3 drafts for other stories  
> idk how to write introductions  
> Sunghoon comes in in the next chapter  
> question: run away by teen top or run away by txt


	2. Chapter 2

Park Sunghoon had it all together. He had a future career in figure skating, his grades were good, and he had just won his most recent competition, getting the highest score he ever had. Park Sunghoon had everything planned out right from the start and he was only a few steps away from reaching his goal - to become a professional figure skater. Everything was going as planned. What was not planned, in fact, was the breakdown. ‘Ice-cold, elegant figure skater Park Sunghoon found crying on park bench at midnight’. Sunghoon could already imagine the articles if that ever got out. Which thankfully, wouldn’t. How was he sure? Lee Heeseung.

_ “Are you okay?” _

_ “Huh?” Sunghoon looked up, dumbly staring at the boy in front of him.  _

_ “I asked if you were okay.” The boy smiled kindly at him, crouching down, coming face to face with Sunghoon. Sunghoon stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. He didn’t know how to react. Park Sunghoon wasn’t supposed to cry. He never cried. But here he was, arms wrapped around his knees and face down sobbing. And then this boy just came along and found him. _

_ “I’m fine,” Sunghoon answered coldly, slapping the boy’s hand away. He picked himself off the ground and started walking away. _

_ “Are you sure?” The boy grabbed his arm, keeping Sunghoon in place. “You didn’t seem very okay 30 seconds ago. And you don’t seem very fine right now.” The boy stared at Sunghoon, eyes filled with concern. _

_ “I’m sure.” Damn his shaky voice for cracking. “What are you still doing up at this hour anyways?” Sunghoon quickly asked, praying that the boy had missed his first sentence. From the glint in his eyes unfortunately it looked like he hadn’t. _

_ “Are you hungry?” The boy asked, changing the topic. “There’s a Wendy’s near here.” _

_ Sunghoon stared at the boy dumbfounded. So the boy didn’t know who he was - that was a relief. But also.  _ **_Wendy’s?_ ** _ Wendy’s? What kind of insane, messed up person went to Wendy’s? “Wendy’s?” _

_ “Yup.” The boy nodded, eyes glittering even during the night. “Wendy’s.” He said that with so much conviction, Sunghoon couldn’t say no. _

_ “...Alright.” Sunghoon found himself agreeing to go with the boy, despite the invitation being going to Wendy’s at 12:30 on a Tuesday morning. _

_ “Nice!” The boy quietly cheered, smiling at Sunghoon. “I’m Lee Heeseung, by the way.” _

_ Oh. Oh.  _ **_Oh._ ** _ Of course it was the high school seniors. It all made sense now. “Oh.” _

_ “Oh?” The boy glanced back at Sunghoon. _

_ “Only a senior would be crazy enough to willingly go to a Wendy’s,” Sunghoon found himself joking with the boy, Heeseung. _

_ “You did not!” Heeseung squawked, outraged. “Wendy’s is life!” _

_ “You’re the only one that thinks that!” Sunghoon shouted back, but he was smiling. He was feeling relaxed for the first time in while. He hadn’t even realized he was tensed up until Heeseung smiled at him. _

_ “So…,” Heeseung started, “what’s your name?” _

_ “Sunghoon. Park Sunghoon.” _

_ “As in the figure skater?” Heeseung gasped, taking a good look at Sunghoon. “Woah.” A pause. “Jay is gonna be so jealous.” _

_ “Hm?” Sunghoon shot Heeseung a questioning glance. _

_ “Jay’s my best friend.” Heeseung waved his hand dismissively. “But back to the topic. Why were you crying?” And just like that, the bubble around Sunghoon popped, the weight dropping on his shoulders once again. Heeseung must’ve sensed his change in mood, because he was immediately apologizing profusely. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry if I’m crossing a boundary right now. Sorry.” _

_ “It’s fine, it’s fine,” Sunghoon hurriedly said. He enjoyed Heeseung’s company. “I was just...stressed out about some stuff.” _

_ “Well if you never tell anyone, you’re never gonna get better.” Heeseung paused before turning back and marching up to Sunghoon. “You don’t have to tell me we’re strangers, but you should tell somebody.” Sunghoon nodded, brain a mess of thoughts and emotions. He was silent the entire way to the Wendy’s and Heeseung had the decent to not pry anymore. _

_ “I...don’t know what to do anymore.” _

_ “Pardon?” Heeseung looked up from his fries to Sunghoon who was absent-mindedly picking at his food with a fork (really, who ate fries with a fork? Also, who came to Wendy’s and ordered a roast potato?). _

_ “I don’t know what to do anymore,” Sunghoon admitted, looking down. “I...I’ve always been so sure that I wanted to become a figure skater. But I can’t tell if I want to, or if it was my parents influence anymore. I just...I’m not sure if I really like skating anymore, but I have nothing other than skating going for me...” Sunghoon inhaled shakily, focusing on his potato. He couldn’t cry here, not in front of someone. “I just...I want to feel happy.” _

_ Heeseung stared at the boy in front of ih, unsure of what to say. He was happy Sunghoon had decided to open up, but now he wasn’t sure what to say. He wanted to be there for Sunghoon, but how? They were strangers. But still...Heeseung wanted to make Sunghoon happy. “Wanna run away?” The words were out of his mouth before he even knew it. _

_ “Pardon?” Sunghoon looked up at Heeseung who was grinning at him.  _

_ “Me and my friend Jay are running away, kinda. We’re gonna travel around Korea! Wanna come with us?” Heeseung invited Sunghoon on his impulsive road trip idea. _

_ “Uh…” Sunghoon wasn’t sure what to say. On one hand, he was quite curious about this road trip, on the other, Heeseung was a stranger and running away to travel with him probably wouldn’t even get him that far. _

_ “Alright, you’re coming with us!” Heeseung exclaimed. “Where do you live? I’ll pick you up on Saturday.” _

_ “Wha…?” Sunghoon gaped at the boy in front of him.  _

_ “Address.” Heeseung held out his hand, waiting. _

_ “Uh…” Sunghoon quickly scribbled down his address on a napkin and passed it to Heeseung. “You’re not serious about this are you…?” _

_ “Very.” Heeseung flashed him a quick smile before taking his trash and dumping it, and then leaving the restaurant. Sunghoon was left alone with his thoughts, silently reflecting what had just happened tonight. He sighed, going back to picking at his potato. Wendy’s… _

“Sunghoon!”

“What?” Said boy whirled around just to see Lee Heeseung in all his glory running towards him. “What do you want? Did you just finish PE or something? Ew, you’re all wet! Get off of me!” Heeseung paid no mind to Sunghoon’s protests, flopping onto the younger, knocking them both down to the ground. “What do you want?” Sunghoon groaned, resigning himself to his fate of being Lee Heeseung’s new friend.

“Come eat with me.” Heeseung gave him a crooked smile, not seeming to care about the scene they were causing. Students started to gather around the two, interested in the scene happening in front of them. After all, the school’s two most popular guys had just been acting like old friends.

“What?” Sunghoon shouted, sitting up and pushing Heeeung off of him. “Ew you’re all wet! Get off me!” Heeseung relented, getting up and dragging Sunghoon to his feet with him.

“C’mon, let’s go!” Heeseung started running off dragging Sunghoon with him.

“Where are we going?” Sunghoon shouted, running to keep up with Heeseung.

“You’ll see~” Heeseung responded, taking a turn. Left, right, left, left, right, and since when did their school have this many hallways? FInally, Heeseung ended up dragging him out the front doors and stopped.

“You’re a bitch, you know that?” Sunghoon paused to catch his breath.

“Fuck you!” Heeseung shouted in retaliation. 

“The guy has a point.” A blond haired boy ran up to them, smiling. “You’re late.”

“Shut it, Jay,” Heeseung groaned. “Sunghoon, this is Jay.”

“Nice to met you.” Sunghoon stretched out a hand, smiling shyly at the blond.

“Nice to meet you too,” Jay said awkwardly, face heating up. He was  _ so _ gonna get Heeseung back for this. Sunghoon tilted his head at the blond and Jay felt his heart beat quicken. Heeseung was a gremlin. Jay would get him back for this.

“So...where are we going?” Sunghoon asked.  _ ‘Please don’t say Wendy’s.’  _

“Wendy’s!” Heeseung cheered.

_ ‘Dammit.’  _

“Okay but anyways, you wanna bring him along on our road trip?” Jay gestured towards Sunghoon. 

_ ‘Wait, Heeseung was serious about that?’  _ Sunghoon stared at the senior.

“Yup.” Heeseung nodded.

“Did he agree to this?” Jay raised an eyebrow.

“No.”

“Yes!”

“Alright, welcome to the squad.” Jay smiled.

_ ‘Damn you Lee Heeseung.’  _

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Park Jongseong had experienced a lot of things in his life. From coming to Korea without his family to nearly exploding a toilet with Heeseung, he had seen a lot of rather...unusual things (most of them thanks to a certain Lee Heeseung). What he had never expected to see, however, was a certain high school student knocking at his door at 5 AM in the morning.

“What do you want?” Jay hissed as he threw open his door. “It’s 5 in the morning on Saturday for god’s sake.”

“Today’s the day~” Heeseung responded, letting himself in. “Did you pack?”

“Well yeah, but did you really have to come at 5 AM?” Jay groaned.

“Yup!” Heeseung popped the ‘p’. “I get the feeling Sunghoon hasn’t packed yet.”

“I get the feeling Sunghoon wasn’t even taking us seriously,” Jay snorted. “What’d you even pack?”

“Clothes, obviously. A coat, change of shoes, food, water, plastic cutlery, paper plates, books, pencils, pens, chargers, and of course, a deck of cards.” Heeseung ran through the list of things he had brought.

“Well you seem prepared,” Jay said. “Let me grab my stuff and tell my grandma.”

“Alright, I’ll wait down here.” Heeseung flopped down onto the couch in Jay’s living room and immediately closed his eyes. Jay smiled at his friend. No matter how daring and mischievous Heeseung seemed, he was still human. He was still a kind, understanding person who needed a break once in a while. Jay watched the rise and fall of Heeseung’s chest. Was he asleep already? Jay sighed, moving the hair out of Heeseung’s face before carefully climbing the stairs.

“Jongseong?”

“It’s okay grandma, you can can go back to sleep,” Jay said softly. His grandma was probably one of the only people on Earth who could get away with calling him Jongseong even after he said he preferred Jay.

“Where are you going?” Jay’s grandma asked. “Are you leaving on that trip with Heeseung?”

“Yup.” Jay walked into his room picking up his duffel bag filled with clothes. He took a quick glance around before grabbing his winter coat. His eyes lingered on the photo on his desk - Jay was around 7 years old, and was flying a kite. His grandma was cheering him on in the background. Jay grabbed the photo frame and carefully slid it into his pocket. Memories.

“Take care.” Jay’s grandma walked into his room. “Please be careful, and take care of yourself and Heeseung.”

“I will.” Jay bent down to hug her. She had taken care of him for the last few years and had been his main source of support even before that. He would miss her. “Take care while I’m gone,” Jay whispered.

“You take care of yourself too,” his grandma shot back. “I better not see you return with a broken arm.”

“I won’t,” Jay sighed. “You should go back to sleep now.”

“Wait a minute.” His grandma walked to her own room and rummaged around before reappearing a minute later with cash crumpled in her hands. “Here. Take it.”

“It’s fine, really.” Jay waved his hands, refusing to take the money. His grandma had already done so much for him. He didn’t want to take anymore. “We have money.”

“Take it.” His grandma insistently shoved the money in his face. “Take care of yourself and Heesseung.  _ Please. _ ” 

“Alright.” Jay took the money, shoving it into his pocket. “Thank you.”

“Be careful.” His grandma smiled at him. “I want you to be happy.” She smiled at Jay before going back to her own room. Jay watched as she turned the corner, hundreds of thoughts plaguing his mind.  _ Happy... _ Jay wanted to be happy too.

“Let’s go.” Jay shook Heeseung’s body, trying to wake up his friend. “C’mon, Hee, let’s go.” Heeseung’s eyes remained closed. Jay groaned. “Lee Heeseung, it’s time to wake up!” He shouted, rolling Heeseung onto the floor.

“What?” Heeseung glanced up, groaning. “Oh hey, Jay. Ready to go?”

“Yup.” Jay offered a hand, pulling Heeseung to his feet. “Let me just go and grab some food and water.”

“Alright. I’ll wait for you in the car.” Heeseung stood up and quietly walked out of the house. Jay nodded. He opened the pantry, grabbing a few packs of noodles as well as all the plastic waterbottles he could carry. He also snatched a few packs of instant noodles, and after a moments hesitation, he grabbed a tin of cookies as well a sack of gummies.

“Ready?” Heeseung turned Jay’s way, one hand on the steering wheel. He was stunning. Messy black hair and bright brown eyes along with black jeans and a dark blue blazer. Typical ‘about to run away from home’ look.

“Let’s go.” Jay threw his duffel bag and backpack into the trunk before opening the car door and plopping beside Heeseung. “So we’re picking up Sunghoon first?”

“Yeah, I got his address.” Heeseung held up a crumpled napkin. Jay nodded, putting on his seat belt (because he didn’t want to die). “I can’t believe we’re actually doing this.”

“Neither can I.” Jay opened the window and checked the time on his watch. 5:30 AM. “Let’s go!”

  
  


Park Sunghoon had seen a lot of things in the short 16, almost 17, years he had been alive. Figure skaters, olympic athletes, and famous idols to a child having a meltdown about soggy cheese. He had seen a lot in his life. What he had never expected, however, was to be greeted by the sight of Lee Heeseung and Jay pulling up at his door at 5:50 AM on a Saturday morning in the most hideous car he had ever seen. Okay maybe he was being a bit mean, but seriously, Heeseung’s car was ugly. It was a bulky, rectangular shaped car and was coloured an ugly red. 

“Hey, Sunghoon!” Jay yelled, spotting the figure skater who was leaning out the window. “Did you pack?”

“You two were actually serious?” Sunghoon shouted back gaping at Jay and Heeseung.

“Yeah, so open up!” Heeseung was already at his door, knocking and ringing the doorbell.

“Coming, I’m coming. You’ll wake up my parents!” Sunghoon shouted, hurrying down the stairs. He was tired and nearly tripped on his own feet while running down to the door.  _ ‘Damn you, Lee Heeseung, Jay Park,’ _ Sunghoon cursed in his brain, opening the door. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Heeseung was smiling. “Did you pack?”

“No…?” Sunghoon deadpanned staring at the older. “Never really took you two seriously.”

“Well guess what, we were serious!” Heeseung clapped his hands together. “C’mon, let’s pack.”

“What?” Sunghoon just watched as Heeseung let himself into the home, taking off his shoes (because the shoes were important), before running up the stairs.

“He gets enthusiastic sometimes,” Jay sighed. Sunghoon turned to face the blond, who was dressed in a white shirt, a jean jacket and sweatpants. “Hey.” Jay waved.

“Hi.” Sunghoon nodded, looking down at his own clothes. He was wearing a loose silk shirt and sweatpants considering the fact he had been sleeping up until 10 minutes ago.

“Let’s go check on Heeseung.” Jay let himself into the house, and rushed up the stairs, not even kicking off his shoes. Sunghoon internally cringed (the shoes were important okay?), before running after him. The two found Heeseung standing just in front of the stairs, appearing to be waiting for them.

“Wouldn’t want to intrude.” Heeseung scratched the back of his neck bashfully, looking at Sunghoon. The figure skater nodded, shooting Heeseung a small smile. He walked to his room and flopped onto the bed, pausing for a minute. What even was his life? Sunghoon sighed, grabbing a duffel bag before opening his wardrobe. Sweatpants, jeans, socks, shirts, sweaters, everything was folded and stuffed into the bag. Sunghoon’s eyes paused on his skates that were beside his desk. He sighed and grabbed them too, putting them in their box and stuffing them into the duffel bag. Other than clothes, Sunghoon grabbed a backpack (just in case) and stuffed a charger into his pocket as well as his wallet.

“Ready.” Sunghoon walked out of the room, carrying his bags. “Let’s go.”

“You’re actually coming with us?” Jay looked surprised.

“I mean might as well.” Sunghoon shrugged - well as much as you can shrug while wearing a backpack and having a duffel bag slung over your shoulder. “I’m kinda curious where this’ll go,” Sunghoon admitted.

“Sunghoon?” Said boy’s mother was up, peeking out of her bedroom.

“Mom?” Sunghoon turned to face her. “You should go back to sleep.”

“Where are you going?” She asked.

“He’s coming with us!” Heeseung exclaimed, bumping into their conversation. “We’re going on a road trip! Rest assured, we’ll return your son by September of next year.”

_ ‘September of next year?’ _ Sunghoon gulped, ready to protest. It was October. There was no way Heeseung and Jay had stuff planned out for that long. Scratch that, they probably had nothing planned out.

“Alright.” Sunghoon’s mom agreed.

“Huh?” Sunghoon choked, staring at his mom. “What?”

“It’ll be good for you.” His mom gave him a small smile. “Maybe you’ll find yourself. I want you to be happy.”

“Wha-but-huh?” Sunghoon sputtered, searching for words. What the hell did he just witness?

“Then it’s settled.” Heeseung smiled, bowing. “Thank you. We’ll take care of him.”

“Please do.” Sunghoon’s mom smiled at Heeseung. Heeseung nodded before grabbing both Sunghoon and Jay’s arms and dragging them back down the steps.

“Well that’s that.” Jay clapped his hands. “Would your parents mind if we took some packs of noodles?”

“They really wouldn’t.” Sunghoon walked towards the cupboards, grabbing a few packs and dropping them into his bag. “Please don’t tell me all we’re gonna eat is instant noodles.”

“That has yet to be confirmed.” Heeseung gave him an ominous smile. Sunghoon had a very bad feeling about the food on this trip, slipping all the protein and granola bars he could into his bag on the way out. As much as he would love to eat ramen for the entire week this trip would probably last, it wasn’t the healthiest option. And Sunghoon, being the young athlete he was, couldn’t bare the thought of that.

“So what are your plans?” Sunghoon asked, throwing his duffel bag into the trunk and flopping onto a passenger seat.

“We have none!” Jay smiled from in front of him. Sunghoon sighed. Leave it to Lee Heeseung and Park Jongseong to decide to tour around Korea with nothing but a tourist guide, a hideous red car, and an unnatural amount of instant noodles. This would be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> seon, k, and taki come in on the next chapter  
> my plan for this is for them to travel around Korea while meeting the other I-land boys  
> anyone wanna guess what flavours of noodles heeseung brought


	4. Chapter 4

Now, don’t get him wrong, 19 year old Choi Seon was no stranger to unusual things. He was in his third year of university and was a sociology major. Safe to say, Seon knew to expect the unexpected. What he  _ had  _ never expected however, were three teenage boys by the names of Lee Heeseung, Park Sunghoon, and Park Jay (was Jay his actual name? Seon didn’t know). It all started like this.

Seon woke up at exactly 6 in the morning. He had never needed an alarm, body hardwired to wake before 7 AM. He groaned, rolling over and flopping down onto the bed again. He waited a few moments before sitting up again and rubbing his eyes. He was properly awake now. Seon went about his morning routine - get dressed, look presentable, and then of course, he brushed his teeth, because hygiene. Seon sighed, boiling some water before going to knock on his roommates’ door. “It’s time to wake up!” he shouted when no one answered. Still nothing. Sigh. Waking up people was the worst. Seon internally groaned, before swinging open the door (it was unlocked as usual).

“What is it?” K groaned, rolling onto his side.

“Morning.” Seon leaned on the door, arms crossed, looking amused. “Time to wake up.”

“Already?” K sat up and sighed, before turning to his side. “Come on, Taki, time to wake up.” Oh, Seon should probably introduce them. His roommates were two Japanese guys - Taki (Seon was sure that was a nickname but he didn’t pry) and K (Seon had no idea what his actual name was. And yes. It was K. Just the letter). K was 22, had just graduated university as a dance major, and had decided to come to Korea to pursue, well, dance. He was tall (even taller than Seon), and had dark, messy hair with bangs that hung in front of his eyes. Taki was 14, K’s step-brother (was it weird Seon knew they were step-brothers without even knowing their full names?), and was probably the best kid Seon had ever had the pleasure of meeting. Taki had big eyes and chubby cheeks, a cute smile, and was always willing to help. Seon had met the two only a week ago, when he had applied for a new roommate after his last one had decided to return home (Zhengting was probably the best roommate Seon had ever had). They were already getting along great, Seon waking the two up before making breakfast and then heading to either class or work depending on the day.

“Huh?” Taki yawned, sitting up before taking a look at the clock. “Is it morning already?”

“Yup. It’s a Saturday though, so there’s no class for you.” Seon smiled gently at the boy, before turning to K. “I’m heading to work. You should make yourself some coffee, I’ve already boiled some water. See you later.”

“Take care.” K shot him a sleepy smile. Seon nodded, before grabbing his jacket and walking out the door, before locking it. Seon pondered over his thoughts as he waited for the elevator. He felt like something  _ big _ was gonna happen today. He wasn’t sure what, but he felt like  _ something _ was going to happen.

And that brought him to the present, standing awkwardly in front of three teenage boys at 7 in the morning. “So what would you like?” Seon asked, trying to break the silence. The four of them had been having a staring contest for the past minute.

“Um…” The boy with the mole stared at the one with dark hair, the two engaging in some sort of conversation through their eyes. The blond one groaned, turning to Seon.

“Three cups of coffee please,” the boy ordered. “And also three scones, too.”

“Alright, you can go sit somewhere, I’ll bring your order to you.” Seon got to work, making the coffee and grabbing the scones. He spotted the blond dragging his friends to a table by the window side. The dark haired one seemed to be plotting something, resting his head on his arms and staring at the window. “Here.” Seon brought the rather stranger trio their food and drink.

“Thanks.” The blond one shot him a smile.

“It’s no problem.” Seon smiled back, before walking away.

“Wait a minute.” Dark hair shot out his hand, grabbing onto Seon’s arm.

“What is it?” Seon asked, staring at the hand.

“Wanna come with us?” The dark haired boy looked up, grinning.

“What?” Seon stared. Come where? What? What was happening?

“Heeseung!” The boy with the mole hissed, slapping his friend. “Sorry about him,” the boy apologized.

“It’s...fine,” Seon said after hesitating for a second. “I’m actually kinda intrigued now.”

The blond laughed. “If you really wanna know, Heeseung had this brilliant plan of going on a road trip around Korea, and dragged me and Sunghoon into it.” Interesting. So the boy with the mole was named Sunghoon? Then what was the blond’s name? “I’m Jay,” the boy said as if he had read Seon’s mind (you know what? Maybe he had).

“Nice to meet you three,” Seon said for the sake of not knowing what else to say.

“So...do wanna join us?” Heeseung asked again, staring up at Seon (Sunghoon internally groaned, why did the older have to be so insistent).

“You could be, like, our adult supervision,” Jay suggested.

“Yeah!” Sunghoon nodded quickly, on board with the idea.

“Hey! Am I not enough?” Heeseung yelled, staring at his two friends in betrayal.

“You’re a great person for advice,” Sunghoon started, “kinda. But you’re not very good at the whole adult part.”

“Yup.” Jay nodded. Heeseung dramatically slumped onto the table at his friend’s statements. 

Seon paused to think. His exams were in December, but he could probably pass them even if he didn’t listen in class. And his professor even allowed stuff to be handed in online. “I’ll come,” Seon said, not even processing what came out of his mouth, “only if you’ll allow me.”

“Wait, seriously?” Heeseung looked up, surprised.

“Sure. I mean, my exams are in December, but my professor allows stuff to be handed in online.” Seon shrugged.  _ ‘It’s because they’re kids. They need someone to watch them,’ _ Seon tried to justify his decision in his head. Yeah. It was because they were kids. Not because of the curiosity and excitement in Seon’s heart. Totally.

“Well, you should start packing, since we have absolutely no plans on how this trip is gonna go.” Heeseung cheerfully clapped his hands together. Seon shot him a questioning glance, but didn’t push, instead heading to the back and grabbing his stuff.

“Tell the boss I quit.” Seon waved his hand dismissively. His coworker nodded, looking amused. Their boss was an asshole anyways. Always docking their pay and forcing them to work overtime. An asshole. Besides, there were plenty of people who would be willing to work Seon’s shifts.

“Alright, I’ll go home and grab a bunch of stuff and meet you guys back here.” Seon emerged from the back, nodding at the trio who were waiting for him.

“Okay.” Jay waved a scone at him.

  
  


“What are you doing?” K peeked into Seon’s room, watching the younger throw clothes into a bag, muttering something under his breath. K was confused, to say the least. It was only 7:10, and Seon’s shifts usually ended at 11. Taki was watching TV in the living room and K had been checking out work at a nearby dance studio.

“Met someone.” Seon shrugged, grabbing his laptop and charger. “They seemed interesting.”

“Like interesting, or interesting  _ interesting _ ?” K asked, intrigued now.

“Interesting…?” Seon didn’t know what K meant. Maybe it was a graduated university thing. Or maybe it was just a dancer thing. He was 99% sure Zhengting said the same kind of thing when they were roommates. 

“So...why are you packing?” K gestured towards the bag Seon had just finished packing. “Woah, you do not have much stuff,” he added, looking around the room. Seon had been able to stuff all his clothes as well as his laptop and chargers into his bag. K wasn’t sure if Seon just didn’t have that many clothes or he just had some mad folding skills. Probably a mix of the two.

“Never needed too much stuff. And I may or may not have just agreed to be the adult supervisor of three teenagers’ impromptu road trip around Korea.”

“What?” It was too early in the morning for this. K’s brain was trying to properly process what Seon had just said. “Did I hear you wrong?”

“Your Korean is pretty good, so I’d assume not,” Seon hummed in reply.

“So, road trip?” K was still trying to clear his head. Seon had just impulsively agreed to go on a road trip. And he was leaving today. Who would he room with now? Rent? What. “What about-”

“There are applications down in the lobby.” Seon held up a neon green paper. K averted his eyes. “If you’re talking about our agreement, I hae enough money to keep paying my half of the rent until you can find a job and roommate,” Seon continued. “You have my number, so just call me.” K frowned, staring at Seon, his mind an internal storm.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rushed this kinda sorry


End file.
